The present invention relates to a bottle/cap assembly wherein the cap is rotatably secured to the top of the bottle in order to close the open bottle top, and more particularly to such an assembly having a unique sweep-and-drain mechanism for removing excess liquid product from the top and returning it to the bottle.
It is well known to provide a bottle/cap assembly wherein the bottle has in series, from the bottom to the top, a closed bottom, a body sidewall, a cylindrical neck sidewall, and an open top. More particularly, the bottle has in series, from the bottom to the top, a bottom portion, a body portion, a neck portion, and a top portion, with the bottom portion defining a closed bottom, the top portion defining an open top, the neck portion defining a cylindrical neck sidewall, and the body portion defining a body sidewall. The cap is configured and dimensioned to be received about the neck sidewall, and includes a closed cap top to close the open top of the bottle and prevent egress of liquid from within the bottle even when the bottle is inverted. The cap may be rotatable about the neck sidewall or not; however, the present invention is limited to those assemblies wherein the cap is rotatably received about the neck sidewall. Such bottle/cap assemblies are well known in the art and used for a wide variety of applications.
Preferably, the top portion is of substantial diameter relative to the body portion of the bottle for a variety of functional reasons. This design enables the body to have greater strength, facilitates application and rotation of the cap on the bottle, facilitates bottle manufacture, etc. On the other hand, in order to limit to some degree the amount of fluid which flows through the open top when the bottle is at least partially inverted without the cap thereon, the liquid discharge channel is preferably substantially smaller than the outer diameter of the neck portion. As a result, the top portion defines an upper surface extending from the inside of the cylindrical neck wall to the liquid discharge channel, defining an annulus of substantial area.
Where the liquid to be dispensed from the bottle is of relatively modest value, it is of only minor concern whether or not the liquid passing through the liquid discharge channel collects on the upper surface of the top portion. Under particular circumstances, this accumulation may be aesthetically undesirable--for example, where the liquid is oily, sticky, or the like. In some cases the presence of liquid on the upper surface of the top portion may lead to problems in reopening the assembly (that is, removing the top from the bottle) after the liquid has dried, due to its adhesive quality. In any case, such an accumulation is aesthetically undesirable.
Where the liquid to be dispensed from the bottle is of relatively high value (such as perfume, nail polish, essential oils, or the like), the accumulated liquid left on the upper surface of the top portion represents an economic loss to the consumer, who in all likelihood will utilize in the future only fresh liquid coming out of the liquid channel.
Thus, whether it be for economic, functional, or aesthetic reasons, it is known to provide the top portion with a plurality of circumferentially spaced passageways extending from the upper surface of the top portion, through the neck portion, and discharging into the body portion, thereby to promote the drainage of liquid from the upper surface back into the bottle. While the provision of such a series of drain channels extending through the neck portion represents an advance, they have not proven to be entirely satisfactory in use. In order not to overly weaken the neck portion, the drain channels cannot be closely spaced together, and in fact tend to be rather widely spaced apart along one or more circumferences between the inner and outer surfaces of the neck portion. As a result, while the liquid accumulated directly over the one of the drain channels may be drained away back into the bottle, a significant portion of the liquid accumulation remains on the upper surface of the top portion and is not subjected to the draining action of the drain channels.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a bottle/cap assembly with a sweep-and-drain action.
Another object is to provide such an assembly wherein rotation of the cap relative to the bottle circumferentially sweeps and pushes any liquid accumulated on the upper surface of the bottle into a position facilitating liquid drainage.
A further object is to provide such an assembly which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, use, and maintain.